I'm Already There
by Simple.White.Lie
Summary: I posted this on another site a long time ago, just a fluffy piece Book 12 spoilers. "A marker had been called in and he was stuck in the godforsaken desert." Babe fic!  No cupcake bashing!  T for suggested scenes..


**Standard Disclaimer: I'm just playing in Janet's infinite sandbox of Yummy Ranger-ness**

**I've previously sworn that I'd never do a song fic, and of course, the radio goes on and words fly across my eyes, Hope y'all like it. Comments are always adored.**

It was hot in the desert, and to rub salt on the wound, Ricardo Carlos Manoso wouldn't be able to get out until early morning, a marker had been called in and, it was about 10:30 by the time he rolled into the 5 star hotel, no matter how nice Las Vegas had gotten, nor how snazzy his hotel was, it was missing one thing. Picking up the phone in his room the second he got there, he dialled the memorized number

"Yo Babe."

_He called her on the road  
From a lonely cold hotel room  
__Just to hear her say I love you one more time_

"Hey Ranger," He had tried half-heartedly to get her to call him Carlos, or at least Ric, but hearing her scream it in the throes of ecstasy, once, was all he needed to let her call him that, not in front of anyone but him, of course.

"How's everyone?"

_But when he heard the sound  
Of the kids laughing in the background  
He had to wipe away a tear from his eye  
A little voice came on the phone_

He smiled at the singular most beautiful sounds he ever heard. His Family. His second daughters wail, his son yelling at Julie and Steph trying to keep them all quiet… Damn dust he thought, as his eyes began to water

"We all missing you like crazy I wi- KNOCK IT OFF YOU THREE OR I'LL SIC YOUR UNCLE TANK ON YOU!"

He heard the hysterical laughing through the line and asked to put them on speaker phone so he could talk to them.

"Hey buddy"

"DADDY- are you gunna bing' me somtin home?"

"Sure Luca, I'm sure I could." Lucero was 3 and he was as much his mother as anyone could be.

"Hey Ranger, your missing a lot," straining his ears he faintly heard Steph talking to Tyra, there 5 month old daughter

"Who's that, baby, huh? You know who that is?"

"Dada." Shit now he was really crying, what he wouldn't give to be home, holding his daughter, hanging out with his son, helping Jules blow something up, kissing Steph senseless. A small voice came over the line and Ranger was silent.

"Dad," a gentle tug brought him back to present. Julia had just recently started calling him that, since Ron had passed. Needless to say, he had realized what he had been missing the past 14 years. Tears were rolling down his face. "When are you coming home?"

"Soon Jules, very soon." If plans went through properly he'd be walking through that door the day after, but that's a surprise.

_Said daddy when you coming home  
He said the first thing that came to his mind_

"You know I would give anything to be there now but…"

"..As long as we're thinking about him he'll be here, can't you feel him? All that black." Steph helped.

"I guess…" Julie had been living with them since the car accident that had claimed Rachael and Ron and there young son, she had mourned like a child would but the fact that she had a new step mom, that she loved, and a baby brother on the way helped a lot.

Steph had been amazing after the accident, lending a shoulder to anyone that needed one. Rachel and Ron's other daughter had not wanted anything to do with them, so Ranger had agreed to provide for her to attend the exclusive private Catholic school in Miami that she had previously attended and moved in with Ron's parents, it was the least he could do.

"Baby, I'm there I-…" Shit he swore one thing he'd never do was cry in front of his kids, he was starting to realize that it was a stupid thing to promise.

_Im already there  
Take a look aroundIm the sunshine in your hair  
Im the shadow on the groundIm the whisper in the wind  
Im your imaginary friend  
And I know Im in your prayers  
Oh Im already there_

"Say goodnight to you dad kids, You know the deal. You stay up to say hi then up to bed."

"Yes mama….G'night Daddy." two said in unison

"DADD-A"

"Night Kids," he was starting to croak "Listen to your mother."

_She got back on the phone  
Said I really miss you darling  
Dont worry about the kids theyll be alright  
Wish I was in your arms_

He heard the kids saying there goodbyes and then Steph was back on the phone. "Hey Ranger?"

"Babe, I really am sorry for all this I-" But she cut him off.

"Ranger…I knew what I was getting into when I married you, we both had lives that didn't lend themselves to relationships, as you so eloquently stated." A groan escaped his lips before he could stop it. "You're still holding that over me?"

"You still owe me for all that heartbreak…"

"Hey I made it up to you," the gentle teasing wasn't doing what it normally did, mainly make him feel better for leaving his family, they were his reason for getting up in the morning, and when he wasn't there, he'd be out of funk until he could.

"Yea, but how long did it take you to get the guts to ask me to an actual date, and that doesn't include Shorty's or anything to do with work."

"Damn ya got me, How can I ever make it up to you."

"Well…"

"Mhmm…"

"You could come home…" the sound of stairs creaking brought him to present, sitting in hotel room, the other side of the country from everything he loved.

_Lying right there beside you  
But I know that I'll be in your dreams tonight_

"I love you too, I really do…" A door creaked on her end and Ranger lay back on the bed he had been sitting on. "I never really sleep well without you, I hate the bedroom. Every time I turn around I see, smell, and feel you. That's why I always stay in the room next door or with Ty."

"Babe," she was on the brink of tears, the hitch in her voice told everything. "I'm not going anywhere, I know you get restless...But try and get some sleep" The bed exhaled air as she sat down,

"I can't Ranger, not with out you…"she got up and walked around the large house, or Gynormo mansion, as Steph had first referred when he popped out that they were going to the 'Batcave'. Waking aimlessly around

_And I'll gently kiss your lips  
Touch you with my fingertips  
So turn out the light and close your eyes_

It had seemed forever that he had made love to his wife, but in truth, it had only been approximately 3 ½ weeks, but it was far too long, it could have been a few days and still felt like forever.

_Im already there  
Dont make a sound  
Im the beat in your heart  
Im the moonlight shining down  
Im the whisper in the wind  
And Ill be there until the end  
Can you feel the love that we share  
Oh Im already there_

"I love you so much babe, I know it's hard but try and get some sleep."

"Mhmm," Deep voices came across and he recognized the sound of Tank, muffled, as if a hand was being held over the phone.

"Tank and the boys say hi, and get your ass back here."

_We may be a thousand miles apart  
But I'll be with you wherever you are_

He was contemplating up and leaving, but he knew his jet wouldn't be able to get out any earlier. He had finished the job and was ready, but the jet had to be in New York for one of his partners.

"Soon, Babe, Real Soon."

It was close to noon and he was smiling to himself. Ranger walked up to the front door of his house. The Spanish Style house he had inherited from his Great Aunt had made the perfect family home, a wing that had multiple apartments for the guys that didn't live on the 4th level at the office building. The front room opened to the dual staircases, and upstairs held the kids bedrooms, and their private bathrooms, there master room suite, office and the hallway lead to the side wings.

Dropping the tote he had brought, he walked through the main living room, the 52" TV and entertainment centre that graced the corner, even from across the room he spied Ghostbusters, Lion King, and Pocahontas. All of the kids favourites, the feeling of familiarity washed over him.

Walking through to the kitchen, which was abnormally clean for this late in the afternoon, Lena, the housekeeper must have already gone through. One of Steph main requirements for marrying him was that they had a housekeeper wherever they were.

Knowing her cooking skills, he hastily agreed. A scream from the Pool area had him running at full tilt outside. Skidding to a stop, he saw them. Tyra, Luca and Julie were watching Steph do a cannonball. Staying in the shadows, he watched his family, but as with Steph, he could never hide for long. Popping up in the centre of the floating island and turning in the water, he met her eyes and a beautiful smile spread her face.

"Kids, it seems someone decided he'd wanted to spy on us…"

"Who mama? Where?" pushing the island to the edge and getting out of the pool, she walked over to him and they shared a private look, one that needed no explanation, it screamed love.

"DAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDD" in a blink, all of his children were on top of him.

Hugging them all to him, he scooped up Tyra and held her on his hip. This was where he was meant to be. Steph was off to his side, letting the kids smother him.

"Come on guys, your getting you father all wet."

"Daddy, you swim?" Lucas face was one of innocent joy. Something Ranger wished he could bottle up and inhale on his most depressing days.

"Not now Little man,"

"I'm not little anymore, I'm a big boy."

"I'm sorry kiddo, you definitely are a big boy." turning to Julia, he appraised her in his eyes, she was excluding warmth.

"you ok pumpkin?"

"DADDD…"

"What?" He made a feeble attempt to look innocent.

"I'm not a Pumpkin,"

"well you certainly look like one," he playfully snapped on of her Orange straps to the bathing suit.

"let's go inside, I'm sure dad is really tired. I pretty sure Lena left some sandwiches in the fridge. Jules, could you?"

"Sure Steph…" Taking Tyra from him, she took the two kids into the kitchen, and Steph dragged Ranger upstairs.

"Babe?"

"I've waited 3 ½ weeks for this." pulling him inside their room, she mashed her lips against his, her arms making there own way behind his neck. He smiled against her lips and pulled her up against him, tangling his fingers in her wet unruly hair.

"God I missed you babe."

"I think that's been the general consensus."

"Babe," Ranger walked over to his bedside table and unlocked the 2nd drawer.

"I love you. Babe" feeling around the bottom of the drawer. he had the boys go out and get a gift for there 5th anniversary, he smiled as his hand grazed a velvet box.

"Ranger is something wrong."

"No, something in my life is terribly right." he walked back over to her keeping the box behind him. Leaning down, he gave her a peck on the cheek and opened the box for her.

"Oh Ranger…" it was a ring, in the shape of a star. In the middle was a ½ carat diamond and at all of the 8 points were colourful stones, sapphires, emeralds, topaz, rubies, the whole rainbow.

"Before that day in the deli, my world was grey, and then, my world became techno-colour. You never disappointed me, never let me down. The one time I almost expected you to, you made my heart swell with 3 little words…"

"Wha-?"

"'Are you ok?' "

"Ranger I-"

"No let me finish. That time when I was FTA, I knew I loved you, I realized it but was too stubborn to give into it, scared that you wouldn't love me back, scared you wouldn't accept me for me. But all of these 5 years, you have stood by me, no matter what has happened, never doubting me. My life is crazy, I never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I could marry ever again, but you not only did you loved me, you accepted me, no matter what."

Her infectious laugh rang through the house. "Well I'm glad I could make you happy."

"Babe, if I had to live like my parents-"

"Sssh…Its ok Ranger…" she pressed a finger against his lips. His parents had only gotten married the same reason that Ranger did to Rachel, His father Ricardo the 1st had seduced his mother Maria and they had Ranger oldest brother Marc, and then the 4 girls and finally Ranger. Looking around, Ranger took in all the pictures and years worth of good memories that graced the small table.

_Im already there  
Take a look aroundIm the sunshine in your hair  
Im the shadow on the ground  
Im the whisper in the wind  
And Ill be there until the end  
Can you feel the love that we share  
Oh Im already there_

"Babe, without you, My life would be worthless, empty. You're my light, my Star." taking the ring out of the box. He slipped it on her finger.

"You have to stopped giving me huge rings, Ranger, my poor fingers won't be able to take the weight." she joked.

Pulling her into him he sighed into her neck. This was where he was supposed to be.

_Oh Im alreadyThere_

"Ti amo, li amerà per sempre, I love you Stephanie Manoso."

"I love you too Ricardo Carlos Manoso"

"Happy Anniversary babe."

…_And they lived happily ever after_

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_I posted this on another site years and years ago and had totally forgotten about it till the song came on the radio. I know it's really rough and if I have time I'll edit it but for now it's just a really fuffy piece of goo... _

_The song is called I'm Already There by Lonestar for those who don't know... Super sweet (I can't even remember why I wrote this) Reviews are love, no flames please I know it's bad! _


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